Empowering Farmers: How Digital Tools Can Drive Sustainable Agriculture
In an era of rising energy prices and growing environmental concerns, the agricultural sector faces
mounting pressure to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and mineral fertilisers. AgEnRes is leading
the way in addressing this challenge by designing sustainable policy pathways that enhance the resilience of European
agriculture
As part of this ambitious initiative, AgEnRes is developing a Decision Support System (DSS) as a web platform, in order to support and facilitate farmers' decision-making on their path to sustainability. The DSS will offer real-time monitoring of production processes and provide personalized advice to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and fertilisers, two major sources of costs and emissions in agriculture. With farmers’ direct input about their crop and/or livestock practices, the DSS will be able to calculate key indicators such as Fossil Fuel Dependence (FFD) and Total Fossil Fuel and Energy Input (TFFEI).
These results will be presented as clear dependency percentages, followed by additional recommendations. The goal is to deliver actionable advice and highlight innovations that are cost-effective and well-suited to each farmer’s unique context. Additionally, the platform may include information on financial incentives and funding opportunities, further helping farmers access resources that support their shift to more sustainable and resilient systems.
The DSS is currently under development, with full implementation planned for December 2026. In that context, stakeholders try to answer critical questions like: Should the DSS focus solely on crop-based practices, or include livestock? Should it target specific crop types or all crop types?
Driven by these questions, AgEnRes is actively working on defining its core features and services by elaborating user stories and technical requirements. As part of this process, user personas have been created based on research and internal stakeholders’ input, capturing specific characteristics, needs, and expectations of the future users. This will contribute to the definition of how the user will interact with the DSS and what their expectations are. To support this process, meetings and internal workshops are being held to explore all kinds of user needs and collect all possible requirements. The aim is to shape DSS’s final scope by establishing clear boundaries, specifying functional needs, and gathering all necessary data through the project’s already structured databases on EU energy-saving technologies.
As development continues, the AgEnRes DSS will represent a promising step towards a smarter, data-driven agriculture. By combining advanced technology with practical guidance, it will equip farmers with the tools they need to adapt, innovate, and thrive in an increasingly uncertain & costly energy landscape. With its launch on the horizon, the DSS is set to become a cornerstone in Europe’s transition to a more sustainable, energy-resilient agricultural future.